Rockets hit military base in Baghdad

Rockets hit military base in Baghdad

Four rockets hit a military base near the airport in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Thursday night, local police said.

Local media reported that sirens were activated in the airport, which was shut down following the incident. It is also reported that the rockets hit the back of the base.

So far, it is unclear if there were any casualties in the incident.

The incident comes amid the tensions between the United States and Iran in recent days.

On Sunday, the US launched air strikes against the Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq at the beginning of the week. The strikes were in response to the killing of a US civilian contractor in a Friday rocket attack on an Iraqi military base.

On Tuesday, Iraqi militants laid siege to the US Embassy in Baghdad, setting fires and smashing security cameras before forcing their way into the compound.

US President Donald Trump accused Iran of orchestrating the violent protest. Iran rejected the allegations.

Following the attack on the embassy, the Pentagon announced that around 750 more troops would be sent to the Middle East immediately.

While Trump threatened that Iran would pay a “big price” for the embassy attack, he later said he didn’t believe a war with Iran was on the horizon.